1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to audio entertainment systems and more particularly to audio entertainment systems for motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Known Technology
There are a growing number of audio entertainment systems configured to receive digital satellite signals from services such as Sirius™ and XM™. Digital satellite service offers the listener a wide range of audio channels that typically have an audio quality superior to audio channels transmitted by AM and FM radio stations. Additionally, digital satellite service providers typically fund themselves by charging listeners a fee. By so doing, the amount of time dedicated to commercials is significantly reduced, further enhancing the listening experience.
However, in order to receive digital satellite signals, the audio entertainment system must contain additional hardware for receiving and interpreting digital satellite signals. Manufacturers have found themselves in the dilemma that require them to make separate audio entertainment systems incorporating the hardware for receiving digital satellite signals while, at the time, offering traditional audio entertainment systems that do not include the hardware necessary for receiving digital satellite signals. This need to produce multiple versions of audio entertainment systems significantly increases the cost of development and manufacture because each audio entertainment system must be separately developed and manufactured to include, or not include, the additional hardware necessary for receiving digital satellite signals.
Furthermore, at the present time, there are at least two digital satellite service providers. By having multiple digital satellite service providers, the costs to develop and manufacture multiple audio entertainment systems are further increased. Each audio entertainment system capable of receiving digital satellite signals must have specialized hardware for each specific digital satellite service provider. For example, an audio entertainment system capable of receiving Sirius™ signals cannot receive XM™ signals without additional hardware and vice versa.
Therefore, there is a need for a configurable audio entertainment system that may be configured to receive, or not receive, one or more digital satellite services without the drawback of requiring the manufacturer to significantly invest in the development of multiple versions of the audio entertainment system.